North Shore students march in Tahoe City against drugs

TAHOE CITY, Calif. — "Proud to be drug free" — that's what local students chanted as they marched in Tahoe City this past weekend.

Roughly 25 North Tahoe Middle and High school students who pledged to remain drug free marched from the Placer County Sheriff's Office Station on Burton Creek Drive to Commons Beach in Tahoe City Saturday morning.

"Remaining drug free means you have more opportunities to get into good colleges and good schools," said Teah Williams, an eighth-grader who participated in the march. "Academics is very important to me. I like to get good grades. It makes me feel good about myself."

For Torrie Goldstone, a 10th-grader, participating in sports drives her drug-free pledge.

"Running is important me, so why would I do drugs to mess it up?" she said.

North Tahoe School and the Placer County Sheriff's Office sponsored the march, said Sgt. Michelle Baxter.

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"For those who are participating, we want them to know how proud of them we are ­— that's really kind of the key," she said. "(Also) to encourage them to continue their drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle (and) to know that they can go out and have a good time without drugs and alcohol.

"And we want the community to know that these kids do exist."

With homemade posters with messages such as "A healthy me is drug free," "Say no to drugs" and "Get high on life," students, PCSO officials and parents waved and chanted to passing motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

In return, motorists honked their horns, and one cyclist even posed with the group in support.

As for what Goldstone would like her fellow classmates take away from march, she said: "I hope they just realize that they don't have to do drugs to be cool, and there are kids in our school who don't do drugs and they have friends who don't do drugs."